Meet Pixel and Pixel XL: Google’s new, self-branded smartphones

Google has officially unveiled the Pixel and Pixel XL; its new HTC-produced self-branded smartphones which replace the Nexus line.

For years, Google’s Nexus range has stood as the exemplar of everything an Android smartphone should be; clean, well designed, and affordable (if you’ll skip past Motorola’s time on the throne). Now, that era has been laid to rest – Google has officially debuted its new self-branded smartphones in the form of the Pixel and Pixel XL.

Both produced by HTC – though you won’t see any official branding indicating that – Google’s new handsets mark a major break in product strategy; both the Pixel and its larger XL sibling form the core of a new, offensive hardware strategy which will see the Mountain View giant compete with the likes of Apple and potentially cannibalize the sales of other Android devices.

The standard Pixel handset will arrive sporting a 5″ display at full 1080p, a Snapdragon 821 processor, 4GB of RAM, 32GB or 128GB of internal storage, and a 2770mAh battery.

The XL model will instead accommodate a 5.5″ display at 1440p resolution, and will sport a larger 3,450mAh battery. Both devices will sport a rear fingerprint scanner, USB Type-C support, and will pack in a 12-megapixel primary and 8-megapixel secondary camera.